Site Search Navigation

Site Navigation

Site Mobile Navigation

‘Every Day Is a New Game, a New Chance’

By Lawrence Cann December 2, 2008 12:21 pmDecember 2, 2008 12:21 pm

The sixth Homeless World Cup began Monday in Melbourne, Australia, and includes teams from 56 nations (including eight all-female teams participating in the first ever Women’s Homeless World Cup). A total of 349 matches will take place over the week-long tournament. Lawrence Cann, the founder and chief executive of Street Soccer USA/Help USA in New York, is with the American squad and will be contributing occasional postings to The New York Times Goal blog during the tournament.

MELBOURNE, Australia — The gurgling persistence of the Aboriginal didgeridoo still rumbles in my gut a day after the Homeless World Cup’s opening ceremony. The sound doesn’t increase in volume, yet it builds momentum as it circles rhythmically around and around, winding like a river, driving like an engine.

Each year at the Homeless World Cup you feel the life force of hundreds of homeless athletes wearing their national colors, fulfilling the childhood dream of being a sports hero and embracing the role of ambassadors and advocates for the underprivileged and homeless. How different is the Homeless World Cup from any other major sporting event in which the majority of athletes come from backgrounds of poverty? What can we learn from these athletes, a high percentage of whom go back to work with or for the organizations that gave them a helping hand in the first place?

The participants in this fifth go around of the tournament do as those who went before them did; they perform the role of savior or Bodhisattva, returning to the struggle to bring others with them toward a better future. Like the circular breathing that drives the persistence of the didgeridoo, the circular aspect of the the programming behind the teams that participate in the Homeless World Cup is the ingredient that makes the event the pure magic that it is.

Soccer is circular in the same sense that all sports are: You get to play again and again. Every day is a new game, a new chance. It’s an amazing metaphor for folks who would like to forget a great many of their yesterdays.

Something deep in all our hearts gurgles, searches and drives forward. When in the face of extreme poverty, in the case of personal tragedy, or child abuse, people push on, we have to pay homage to that spirit. I think the Homeless World Cup performs that role, using our one universal language, soccer, to showcase the resilience and humanity of those on our planet with the least opportunity.

Still, as much as all the athletes overcome, as much as they advance and achieve on and off the field, many of them will lose and lose often at the Homeless World Cup.

The U.S. team opened against Ireland on the main pitch in front of 1,000 spectators. Ireland, a well trained squad that used teamwork and soccer to battle drug addictions, has played together for many months and even entered street soccer tournaments domestically and abroad before coming to Melbourne. The players on the U.S. squad live thousands of miles a part. The Irish could easily expose our lack of cohesion and nullify our individual talent. They had a hard time pressing their advantage for the first five minutes, but while the U.S. tested its strength of character for the first time, the Irish went about their business with total self assurance and scored a last second goal to claim a 3 goal to 1 advantage at the half.

Street soccer Homeless World Cup style is a fascinating, unique form of soccer. A 72 x 52 foot walled court contains the passion of the 8 players and the energy of the ball for a robust 14-minute game played in two halves. The 10-foot long by 4-foot high goals are big enough exploit regularly but challenge the ability of attackers to directly the ball low and in the corners to beat the goal keeper. The goalkeeper occupies a 9-foot radius arc which is a no-man’s land for defenders and attackers. The area keeps the three field players per team from bunching up and protects the goalie from sure collisions. The most strategic element of the game is the 3 vs. 2 advantage. A team can only play with two players in the defensive half. This rule promotes controlled passing to advance the ball into the front court, rewarding sharp, quick passing, while leaving the attacking side vulnerable to an immediate counter attack if they get careless.

After months of training, the thrill of getting picked to travel, and all the personal advancement they have achieved, the U.S. team in the face of adversity lost its discipline and was exploited for a bevy of goals from the Irish in the second half. Cornelius Bracy Cruz of Santa Rosa, Calif., scored twice for the U.S. in the first match, but his goals were far too little to match Ireland’s 11-goal tally.

In the team’s second match, they played smarter and even took the lead against Romania, but substitutions in the second half created chaos.The U.S. fell again, 8-2. Cornelius again hitting the net for the U.S.

With two matches remaining the U.S. will have to win both if they want to advance to the top tier of competition in the second round. The opponents include France and Hong Kong.

In other news, Alex Mwambi of the movie “Kicking It” is now training the Kenyan team that turned on the style trouncing Germany, 12-1, in its opening match. Alex told me his dream is to attend a coaching class in the United States or Europe. His was humble about his team, more eager to promote his back up goalkeeper and team captain, single mother who defied the odds to even play on the team. The 2006 champions, Russia, coached again by “Kicking It” star Arcady Tyurin, won both of its first two matches. Arcady is proud of the big Russian Bear cartoon on his country’s flag. He hopes this will make teams and the world less frightened of Russia, I suppose. Afghanistan, Ghana, Nigeria, and Italy have all impressed early as contenders for the top prize.

Also, this year the first ever women’s competition is underway. The U.S. watched the Colombian team defeat the hosts Australia by 10 goals. Kyrgyzstan and Zambia have likewise shown themselves to be the class of the women’s competition.

Characters are only now emerging and the true character of the teams will determined in the final day of round one matches tomorrow.

Please check back to read some back stories on the athletes as well as accounts of the competition as it develops. Post your questions or particular national team inquiries.

In my opinion, my cousin Lawrence Cann, is the greatest! I love soccer very much, but I also love being in contact with the community as well. Street Soccer USA is a FANTASTIC program, and I wish I was in it. It changes character, personality, dreams, and lives. It really shows, that with the help of everyone else, every can succeed in life.

The Homeless world cup is astonishing. I saw the documentary “Kicking It” and it changed my outlook on the homeless. I have more of an understanding, The athletes in thhe Homeless World Cup work as hard as the professionals that we watch playing in the Champion’s League ever two weeks. It is as they have tried every option and they think that this is the only way to escape their harsh living conditions.

Lawrence Cann, im so inspired by you, the story you tell, and the work you do. What an amazing journey, and how proud of the team we should be. Congratulations and go team USA. cant wait to read more, so keep it coming…

Lawrence, thanks so much for the vivid account from Melbourne. I wish I was there! Reading about
you and your amazing players makes me proud to have all of you representing the US. I look forward to reading your
blog all week. It’s the next best thing to being there.

Lawrence,
Thanks for the updates! I have been sharing the Homeless World Cup story with my students. I can’t wait to share the blog with all of them tomorrow morning. What a heartwarming event.
Go Team USA!

I’ve been one of the fortunate few who has been around since Lawrence began America’s first homeless soccer team. From that perspective, for any who might doubt the worthwhile nature of this program, please think again. Of course homeless people need jobs and food. (No one goes hungry because of this venture.) But people, particularly the homeless among us, also need to feed their spirits; walk in society knowing they have something to share and contribute. They need a way to cross invisible barriers created by unfair stereotypes. This soccer program does all that. There are now 11 states with homeless soccer teams now and I look forward to the day when every state has at least one!

Great description of Arcady, please tell him hello for me. I was picturing the opening ceremony when i was reading your blog yesterday, Lawrence, it doesn’t surprise me that your still feeling residual effects – that must have been exhilarating. Good luck with France and Hong Kong: YES WE CAN.

What else I can say.. Lawrence I’m your biggest fan!!
I saw all the hard work that you put into this team and all the obstacles that you conquered, and now you are getting the results you deserve!!
Congratulations, you inspire a lot of people with your example.
Hugs.
Luis Machicao.

What's Next

About

Goal, The New York Times soccer blog, will report on news and features from the world of soccer and around the Web. Times editors and reporters will follow international tournaments and provide analysis of games. There will be interviews with players, coaches and notable soccer fans, as well as a weekly blog column by Red Bulls forward Jozy Altidore. Readers can discuss Major League Soccer, foreign leagues and other issues with fellow soccer fans.